TURKMENISTAN: SELF-FINANCING TURKMEN ABLE TO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ASHGABAT 000171 SIPDIS SENSITIVE SIPDIS STATE FOR SCA/CEN, DRL/IRF E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL KIRF KISL SA TX SUBJECT: TURKMENISTAN: SELF-FINANCING TURKMEN ABLE TO TRAVEL ON THE HAJJ REF: OSC:CEP20071219950084 ¶1. (U) Sensitive but unclassified. Not for public internet. ¶2. (SBU) SUMMARY: Post attempted to verify a December 2007 Forum18 news article (reported in ref by Turkmen opposition website "Gundogar") about the restrictions the government allegedly imposed on those wishing to go on the Hajj. While post has been unable to ascertain from the Saudi embassy in Ashgabat or through Consulate General Jeddah's sources the exact number of pilgrims who traveled from Turkmenistan in 2007, post has found strong anecdotal evidence that, in addition to the single plane of 188 government-sponsored pilgrims, as many as 1,000 self-financing pilgrims may have gone (out of a Saudi allotment of about 4,000 spaces),likely with government authorization. END SUMMARY. ¶3. (U) A Forum18 news article posted on the Internet on December 14 reported that the government-sponsored charter flight of 188 pilgrims departed Ashgabat for Abu Dhabi and then Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on December 6. The article stated that this was the only group of pilgrims that Turkmenistan's government had allowed to perform the Hajj in 2007. The article also indicated that the pilgrims had been approved by the Council on Religious Affairs, local government, and the country's security service. State-controlled Turkmen press also noted the departure and return of the 188 "official" Hajj pilgrims from Turkmenistan. ANECDOTAL STORIES OF OTHER, SELF-FINANCED PILGRIMS ¶4. (SBU) However, a local staff member has reported that a female acquaintance left on a commercial flight that was carrying pilgrims on December 13, and that the woman paid for her own flight, which would seem to contradict the claim that only the 188 Turkmen on the charter flight were permitted to travel. It is unclear whether the second aircraft was a Turkmen Air flight. ¶5. (SBU) On January 25, AID representatives met with the head of a parliamentary commission, who proudly pointed to the skullcap on his head and said he had just returned from the Hajj. He claimed that 1,000 Turkmen had gone on Hajj in 2007, including three parliamentary officials. He said that as official government representatives in the group, the three parliamentary officials had been able to meet the Saudi king. However, later official press statements only reported on the travel of the 188 Hajjis, whose trip was financed by the Turkmenistan government. SAUDIS UNWILLING TO DISCUSS THE HAJJ ¶6. (SBU) Post repeatedly attempted to meet with Saudi diplomats in Ashgabat to shed light on the number of Hajj visas they may have issued or the number of Turkmen pilgrims they might have been aware of, but they refused to meet with us at any level. (NOTE: The Saudis may be reluctant to share sensitive information that they feel could potentially embarrass the Turkmen government. END NOTE.) GOING ON PILGRIMAGE REMAINS A CHALLENGE ¶7. (SBU) There are several logistical realities that impact how local Muslims plan a pilgrimage, and they represent additional, external hurdles for potential Turkmen pilgrims. First, according to the Saudi Hajj Ministry website, to go on the Hajj, prospective pilgrims must procure a special Hajj visa from a Saudi-approved Hajj travel agency. Saudi law requires that all pilgrims arrange their travel through these officially-approved Hajj travel agencies, which are authorized to organize travel and accommodations for pilgrims ASHGABAT 00000171 002 OF 002 through the appropriate ministries in Saudi Arabia. There are no such approved travel agencies in Turkmenistan, although there is a Saudi embassy. Therefore, any Saudi hajj visa, beyond those procured for pilgrims on a government-sanctioned flight, would either have to be procured abroad, or through special arrangements. ¶8. (SBU) All travelers, as well, must enter the country for pilgrimage via Jeddah, according to the official hajj website. Standard flight options for getting Turkmen citizens to Saudi Arabia, however, are very limited. There are flights from Ashgabat to Abu Dhabi and Istanbul via either Turkish Air or Turkmen Air, from whence travelers can take other airlines to Jeddah. Currently there are eleven flights per week to Istanbul, a popular route for shuttle traders and international business people. The high cost of international flight beyond those two airlines, however, would limit hajj travel to wealthy Turkmen. (NOTE: Turkmen citizens enjoy special low fares on Turkmen Air as well as Turkish Air flights. Standard international fares would be out of the average citizen's reach. END NOTE.) ¶9. (SBU) The quota for hajj pilgrims from Turkmenistan is currently about 4,400. This number is derived from Saudi Arabian government information on its official website that reports the Muslim population in Turkmenistan at about 4,407,000, with a total population estimate of 4,952,081. (NOTE: This is one of many estimates. A census has not been conducted in Turkmenistan since 1989. END NOTE.) The quota provides for the travel of 1,000 pilgrims for every one million people in a Muslim country. It is unclear whether the quota is established by calculating 1,000 pilgrims per every 1 million Muslims, or 1,000 per every 1 million people in a Muslim country. TURKISH CITIZENS MAY BE ASSISTING PILGRIMS ¶10. (SBU) Post has learned from several sources including the Turkish ambassador that there may be Turkish citizens living in Turkmenistan who help Turkmen citizens to go on hajj. Local employees report that many Turkish citizens who live and work here, including business people, are encouraged to maintain their Islamic traditions, go to mosque, and assist devout Turkmen. ¶11. (SBU) COMMENT: While the difficulties that would-be pilgrims face would seem to argue in favor of a smaller number of pilgrims than the 1,000 that our parliamentary contact claimed, post believes that, based on the anecdotal stories it has heard, the government is in fact allowing pilgrims that can afford it and (possibly) have connections to finance their own way, as it promised the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom last August. The oft-quoted number of 188 is simply the number that the Government officially sponsors. END COMMENT. HOAGLAND